Rain detector element



Nov. 6, 1956 RAIN DETECTOR ELEMENT Original Filed Dec. 1, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l Y INVENTOR William J2 Clauvff.

w. J. CLARK 2,769,872

Nov. 6, 1956 w. .1- CLARK 2,769,872

RAIN DETECTOR ELEMENT Original Filed Deo.- l, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllllllllllll i "1' INVENTOR WiZZLam J. CLar/Y- Nov- 6, 1956 w. J. CLARK 2,769,872

RAIN DETECTOR ELEMENT Original Filed Dec. 1, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTO'R William J Czar/f- Unite States Patent C DETECTOR William J. Clark, Jenkintovvn, Pa.

Original application December 1, 1951, Serial No.

259,460. "Divided .and this application December :21, 1953,.Serial NIL-406,530

3 Claims. (Cl. 20.0-61.05)

The :present I invention relates :to window closers of ;;the type which may :be .used to close ta bedroom window when inclement weather develops.

This application is a division .of :my .co=pending application, :Serial No. 259,460 for :Window ;Closure, .filed "December 1,1951.

*fra glle operating parts .of "the window :closer in .a ghQllS- in-g, with the exposure on "the 1Qut' idLQ ztewe n u -.elements landwith a minimumpf rprojection.ofithesennns elements from the housing.

A further-purpose. is; to :simplify the :controh circuit of the window .closer and eliminate ithe necessity of additional switches which are;lile1Ya.-to cause ,ditficulty from the standpointof m-aintenance.and willead :19 m tr 'pense.

tact-s in a water troughab the :base; of AI-shaped, downwardly converging-rend :Walls. of inslllat-ing materialand immediately: above a dr,a-inage opening at; the;b9ttom;of

the V.

'A :further purposeis "to incline {the insulatinggback :wall of the water strough forwardly; and;;downwar y in spaced: relation to 1,=the; insulating front -wall;;so as; 'flect; a 1 maximum; ofhorizontal:flieawf rainfall into-Abe water trough without requiringia. largea nount efizfipflfi inthe housing.

A further..;purpose'iis to;=place;-;the water electrodes in series with the electromagnet of ,the :m9. Qrarelay; and

.desirablyinparallel with= .a-timer switch--.-which -isgalso in series 'with'theelectrornagnet.

A further purposeislto; place the. relay switch; inseries -with the -windowqcloser motor, ,tooperate the, relay switch --by a wind --vane,-.and to :interpose; one or more sensing .switches in series-with the:electr om a gnet of the.,re l-ay,and

in parallel with one another,-.-while-, inte rposing ,d llll'llt switch in series between. allot-the,circuitybranches and one side.of-:the source.

Further; purposes appear --in the. specification and,,in

: the claims.

In .the drawingsoneembodiment gof the -;l1LYI lI lOIlis shown, with :afvariation, selecting the form illnstrated from thestandpointsof convenience ,in illustrations tisfactory operation and .clear-demonstration;;of the ;principles involved.

Figure his a fragmentaryperspectivmshowing the I having vertically movingsash.

Eigure 2 ,is a frontelevationof'the window closer of the invention.

ice

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the window closer of Figure}, with the cover removed.

Figure ,4 is a perspective of the device of the invention viewed iromthe rear of outside.

Figure 5 is a section of Figure 3 on the line .'5'-5.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the device of the invention, with the lower part of the water trough broken out to show the electrodes.

,Figure 7 is a fragmentary section of Figure 6 on the line 7-.-7. V

Figure =8 is a circuit diagram showing the preferred circuit.

Figure 9 is a circuit diagram illustrating a variation.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring -to-the drawings:

Automatic window closers have heretofore been deyelopedyvith a ,view to closing a window when inclement weather ,arises, either to prevent damage to the interior of the jhouse from rain, wind or the like, to prevent in- ..trusion v intovthe house of the cold, damp or otherwise ,i-nclenrent air, ,orto assure closingof the window at a predetermined time. While such window closersmaybe used in other piartssof the house as to assure the closing ot-windows in case of a storm when the householderis absent thehwidest application has been on bedroom winslows with the purpose of closing the window whena ,stormcon es up and-also closing the window sufficient-1y before thehour of rising so that cornfortablywarm conditions can be,est;ablis hed inthebcdmQ nythe time that the sleepe -Wake Such ,pri r ,r ice h f qu ntly be bu ky, e

.penSiYQ-and subject to high maintenance, particularly the e rception of the clock) are enclosed in an extremely some ous nd th s n n men s w h mu be exposed at the outside are rendered safe against dam- .as eithcr o th W n ow or romre n e i t vne horhood.

,Theoperative parts have been greatly simplified, so

that the cost of manufacture and thedifliculty of maintenance are reduced correspondingly.

"In accordance with the invention, closing by wind is accomplished by a vane which is positioned close to the outside of the housing and is protected by support from the housing in case of excessive deflection. The vane has a handle and is used for amanual closing switch.

The space requirements of the water trough have been greatly reduced. While the trough collectsmoisture from .a-substantia-l horizontal area at the top, it slopes toward -;the outside of the window and thus greatly reduces the 65.

-.;alon g the two end walls to the electrodes, anddrainage is provided between the end walls immediately below ethe e lectrodes, so;that the electrodes respond to a predetermined rate of moisture precipitation, andnot merely -.to thepresenceof moisture. Since the walls at all sides -of the.,trough are of insulating material, thetendency of. the;electrodes to cause window closing merely from ,e he presence of a high humid condition onmetal surfaces space requirement in the housing. The trough converges or the like is avoided.

. The. water closing terminals are placed in parallel. with thetime switch and both are in series with the electromagnet of the relay, while the relay switch is in series .with the, motor and desirably also with a limit switch ,wh-ich is opened by closing of the window. The wind vane operates on the relay switch directly, thus avoiding the necessity of using an additional switch.

"Asshown in Figure 1, the window closer 20 in aci a bracket 27 on the inside of the bottom of the lower sash,

protruding inwardly a suflicient distance to operate the limit switch as later explained.

The window closer comprises a housing 28 suitably formed of a channel-shaped body 30 which forms the bottom and front and back walls and an inverted U-shaped cover 31 which forms the top and end walls and is suitably secured to the body by screws 32. The body is suitably mounted on resilient cushion legs 33 of rubber or the like, and is fastened to the window sill as by screws passing through openings (not shown) in the legs.

At one end of the interior of the housing an electric motor 34 is mounted as best seen in Figure 3. The motor is secured in the housing as by a bolt 35 extending into the rear wall and suitably insulated from the motor. An adjusting screw 36 extends through an opening in the motor and adjusts the vane as later described. The motor may be of any suitable type, but will preferably be capable of operating on 110 volts alternating current or any suitable commercial voltage at any desired commercial frequency such as 60 cycles or 25 cycles.

The motor carries, on the shaft, pinion 37 which meshes with reduction gear 38 which freely turns on shaft 40. Shaft 40 is stationary and is mounted on the front and rear of the housing. Gear 38 has pinion 41 secured thereto which meshes with reduction gear 42. Gear 42 is rigid with winding drum 43 and the gear and V drum turn freely on shaft 44 secured at 45 in the rear wall of the housing at one end and in bracket 46 from the base winding drum as by extending through an opening in the drum (not shown) and the flexible connection winds up ,on'thedrum when the window is pulled down under the 7 action of the motor.

As best seen in Figure 8, the motor 34 is in series with switch '47 of relay 48 having electromagnet 50. .The switch is closed when the relay is energized by'pulling armature 51 (Figure 3) toward the electromagnet as well known. When the relay is not energized the relay switch is normally open as shown in Figure 3.

On the rear of the housing toward the outside of the window a wind deflecting vane 52 is placed. The vane is of readily flexible or resilient material such as thin gage steel, stainless steel or brass and suitably has a spring character which tends to make the vane return to its neutral position when no wind is encountered. The vane extends along the rear wall of the housing in spaced relation from the housing but close to the housing, and is mounted by bolts 53 against spacers at one end of the vane. Thus the vane is held in uniform spaced relation close to the housing. In case the vane is deflected as by contact with some part of the window or with the hand i or foot of a person cleaning the room or cleaning or painting the window, the deflection of the vane toward the housing which is possible is terminated by the housing so that it is very unlikely that the vane will be damaged by distortion.

The vane suitably has cutouts 55 for bolt heads in housing so that it can be deflected without encountering the bolt heads.

An opening 56 extends through the housing in line with the otherwise free end of the vane and in line with the relay switch and a plunger 57 of insulating material extends through the opening 56 as best seen in Figure 3 in contact with the vane in neutral position. When the vane 4 is deflected by the wind the plunger 57 closes the relay switch 47.

An car 60 on the top of the free end of vane 52 forms a handle by which the vane can be pulled in to close relay switch 47 against the spring of the switch.

On the rear of the housing at a position not covered by the wind vane, a water trough 61 is located as best seen in Figures 3, 4, 6 and 7. The cover is recessed at 62 to provide a comparatively large horizontal area which can receive rain or other precipitation.

A back wall 62 of the water trough consists of suitable insulating material such as phenolic plastic and extends generally vertically, but is inclined slightly downwardly and rearwardly or toward the outside. End walls 63 and 64 desirably also of similar insulating material extend downwardly in a V 65, and at the apex at the bottom of the V continue downwardly at 66 in spaced relation to form a bottom drain, which is in line with a drain opening 67 in the bottom of the housing.

An outside wall 68, suitably of similar insulating material, is disposedon the rear of the end walls, and extends up a slight distance above the bottom of the V, terminating in a cross portion 70, and then continuing up to the top of the V in diverging Walls 71 which conform with the V. The outside wall 68 is of wedge shape section as shown in Figure 7 and slopes on the face toward the back of the water trough generally downwardly and toward the outside as shown. A truncated V is formed at 72 in the body of the housing to conform with the truncated V in the wall 68.

Thus in effect the walls of the water trough are of insulating material converging downwardly and sloping toward the outside. A comparatively large horizontal cross section at the top of the trough reduces to a small cross section at the bottom, so that little space is taken by the trough from the inside of the housing. Metallic electrodes 73, suitably of L shape, extend through the rear wall 62 of the water trough adjacent the bottom of the V and then extend inwardly in opposed spaced relation, nearly meeting but not quite meeting as shown in Figure 6. Thus there is a water pocket 74 above the electrodes which will trap water and allow current flow between" the'ele'ctrodes as long as the rate of inflow of Water is greater than the rate of drain through the drainage opening. The electrodes 73 are placed in series with the electromagnet 50 across the current source 75, and the circuit branch containing the water electrodes 73 and the electromagnet 50 is in parallel with the circuit branch containing the motor 34 and the relay switch 47.

A time switch 76 of any well known character is mounted suitably at the front of the housing, and the time switch is placed in series with the relay electromagnet 50 and in parallel with the water electrodes 73 which are inseries with the relay electromagnet 50 and the limit switch 80 across the line. The time switch is in parallel V with the circuit branch including the relay switch 47 and the 'motor 34. The time switch is provided with a dial 77 and knob 78' to permit setting of the time interval at which the switch is to operate.

A limit switch 80 (Figure 8) is mounted suitably at the rear of the housing, and its operating switch element extends up through an opening 81 in the cover. The operating element is contacted by the bracket 27 to open normally'closed limit switch 80 when the window closes and thus turn ofi the motor. The limit switch 80 is in resistance heater 82 connected in series with the limit switch across the line. The heater is shown in Figure 7.

In operation, the user on going to bed or at any other suitable time sets the window closer in operation by opening the window to the desired extent, pulling the flexible connection 25 up against the idle gear train and motor.

The user then sets the timer so that the window will be closed in any event by a certain desired hour in the morning, usually a predetermined period before the sleeper intends to rise. As soon as the window is raised, limit switch 80 can then be closed by pulling it up so that the device is ready to operate.

In case excessive wind is encountered during the night, the wind vane deflects and physically closes relay switch 47, thus energizing the motor to wind the flexible connection down and close the window.

The position of the adjusting screw 36 under the wind vane and the proximity of the end of the screw to the wind vane when the wind vane is inactive determine the wind velocity which operates the wind vane. The screw is suitably threaded only through the housing wall near its end, and may be adjusted by a screw driver applied to the head after loosening locking nut 36. The adjusting screw is preferably located nearer the mounting end than the free end of the vane. As soon as the window closes, the bracket 27 forces the limit switch open and stops the motor.

If rain or the like falls during the night, it flows down in the water trough and out the drain. No contact is made by the water electrodes unless water bridges across between the electrodes due to an excessive rate of rainfall eyond the predetermined amount carried off by the drain. When rain .in excess of the predetermined amount falls, current flows across the rain terminals and energizes the relay to close the relay switch and operate the motor to close the window. In case of cold weather, the heater melts ice or snow in the water trough.

In case the window is not otherwise closed, when the predetermined time has elapsed the normally open time switch closes, energizing the electromagnet of the relay to close the relay switch and energize the motor and close the window.

In any case, when the window closes it de-energizes the motor by opening the limit switch.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim 6 all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a window closer, a trough comprising downwardly sloping electrically insulating end walls of generally V formation, an electrically insulating front wall extending across the end walls near the bottom of the V, an electrically insulating back wall extending across the end walls from the top to the bottom of the V, two electrodes extending into the space within the walls to a position adjacent the bottom of the V in spaced relation, at least one of said electrodes being exclusively above the said bottom of the V in all parts which are in contact with said space within the walls, and walls forming a limited drainage opening extending downwardly below the bottom of the V, said drainage opening at least being normally open during use of the trough.

2. in a window closer, a generally vertical forwardly inclined electrically insulating rear wall, downwardly converging V-shaped end walls engaging the rear wall and continuing in spaced relation below the bottom of the V to form a drainage opening, electrodes extending through the end wall and toward one another adjacent the bottom of the V, terminating in spaced relation near the bottom of the V, and a generally vertical downwardly extending front wall extending across between the end walls at a position slightly above the bottom of the V and leaving a truncated V-shaped opening above the front wall.

3. In a window closer, a generally vertically forwardly inclined electrically insulating rear wall, downwardly converging V-shaped end walls engaging the rear wall and continuing in predetermined closely spaced relation below the bottom of the V to form a constantly open drainage opening with predetermined limited rate of flow under given conditions, electrodes extending through the end wall and toward one another above but adjacent the bottom of the V, terminating in spaced relation above but near the bottom of the V, and a generally vertical downwardly extending front wall extending across between the end walls at a position slightly above the bottom of the V and leaving a truncated V-shaped opening above the front wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,262,391 Sabol Apr. 9, 1918 2,166,481 Baird July 18, 1939 2,171,329 Boone Aug. 29, 1939 

